And, if you don’t already know me, my name is Surobi and I am currently a teenager and a student who shares productivity tips and tricks as well as girl solutions here on this website and over on my podcast The Chat Library. And, remember it is your choice if you want to follow these tips or not.

Here we shall go on to the five bad habits:

Habit #1: Waking Up Late

I know that it is really tempting to stay asleep until midday and sleep at like 1 am but I don’t recommend that. Waking up late is not good as the morning is the time where you have the most energy and probably when everyone in your household is still asleep, so try to use this morning time to get your work done and be productive. This helps you to also start the day with a positive approach.

Habit #2: Having A Longer Screen Time

Okay, this feels inevitable but trust me when I say that it is not impossible to stop doing this. If you have access to your phone or electronic devices 24/7 during this quarantine time, you are likely to use them more. However, my tips would be to have a goal of your screen time on how long you will use it each day and track it in a planner to ensure you know if you reach that target. You could also assign times in the day where you don’t use your phone at all or you give it to someone in your family.

Habit #3: Having An Unstructured Routine

You were probably used to having a fixed or structured routine back when you were not quarantining. And even if you weren’t…this is the time! Build the self-discipline to make a routine as detailed as you want it to be to ensure that you are getting your work done. Fit in times for relaxation, work and even spending time with your family.

Habit #4: Piling Up Work

I know that taking care of your mental health is super important and you may take some time off to take care of yourself but if you feel completely fine, try to get some work done. I know it can be hard at times, but if you do some work now, it will be easier for you later as you won’t have to catch up on a lot of work. 

Habit #5: Not Gaining Good Knowledge

This is the time to also push yourself out of your comfort zone to do something good, whether that is by making a new platform like a website, learning a new skill, or reading a book. Since racism is quite a big issue right now, you may want to research on that or you may want to feed your brain with other good information. If you incorporate this into your routine, you may end up doing this for the rest of your life.

Those were my five top habits you should not do and instead try to do the opposites if you want to really develop yourself and become an improved version of yourself while quarantining. And, of course, remember to take care of yourself especially during this time :).

And while you are already on my website, stick around by surfing around my website and also listening to my Podcast: The Chat Library. 

Stay happy, healthy and well! Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Take care of your mental health.

Since this is already a very uncertain time, you do not want to burden yourself too much with too much work. This can be the time for you to pause and reflect on yourself. If you lack motivation, feel burnout or require some purpose to get back to work, I recommend that you just take a break for possibly 2-3 days where you take care of your mental health by meditating, praying and talking to someone (video calling or people at home). I don’t recommend using too much social media at this time. However, you should not use the excuse of ‘mental health’ if you feel completely fine and you just want to procrastinate.

Organise your house.

Since nearly half of the academic year was nearly completed, your house may have started looking a bit disorganised. If that is the case, this is the perfect time for you to spice up and clean your house. Redecorate a bit of your house, organise everything and just live in a clean environment that you will feel productive and happy in.

Write down your goals.

As life could have taken a turn for you, especially if your exams were cancelled, it can be hard to define what you want to do currently. So, therefore, I recommend you to just grab a pen and a piece of paper and write down who you want to be in the future. Then try to write an action plan for your goals and how you can reach this. This will redefine your purpose for life.

Make a routine for yourself during this period.

It is best to try to make a routine that is adaptable to you only. If you find that you are distracted by younger siblings, for example, maybe you could wake up earlier when they are still asleep and get some work done before they wake up. Find a routine where you can really manage your time and obviously remember to have breaks in between.

Try to stay up-to-date with your schoolwork.

I recommend that you try to stay up-to-date with your schoolwork as later on, it can pile up. If this is hard for you to do due to the numerous distractions you have around you, then stick to the routine that you have made and maybe tell someone in your family to keep you accountable. You could also try to stick to your school timetable as closely as possible and try to do your lessons, especially if you are set work from your teachers.

Practise self-care.

Self-care does not only mean just having a spa routine, but it also means making sure that you eat well and exercise regularly. This is vital for you to ensure that you are also taking care of your physical health especially before going back to school.

Have a habit tracker.

This relates to my previous point about practising self-care and that is track those habits. Essentially, this is when you have a table with different habits you want to do regularly, such as having limited screen time, praying and exercising. You can tick these off daily or weekly. This will also help to build self-discipline.

Talk to someone regularly.

We, humans, are social creatures and I know it can be hard for most people to be told to stay behind shut doors and not be in the midst of our usually busy lives. However, if quarantining is recommended by the Government, we should follow it but if you need to talk to someone, I recommend that you talk to your family members who live with you at home, or alternatively, text, call or video chat your friends and relatives who don’t live with you.

Have a side project.

If you don’t have an extracurricular activity or a side project amongst your normal workload, then this could be the time for you to introduce this into your life. Starting a side project requires commitment but you can experiment now to see a side project you could do. Examples are creating a website, a Youtube channel, an Instagram or a Pinterest board to share with this world.

Learn something new.

This is also the time to gain some extra knowledge by watching relevant TED talks and documentaries. Knowledge is surely power and if you have always wanted to learn about a good specific topic or read that good book, then this is the time for you to do that!

I hope this article is helpful as it is like a checklist that if you want to follow if your school is currently closed due to coronavirus. Make sure to check out these sources for more information:

Sources:  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-51951914/coronavirus-uk-schools-to-close-to-prevent-virus-spread

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Stay safe and well. Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

The government recommends that you should quarantine to protect your health and others’ health, specifically the vulnerable people such as the elderly or with underlying health conditions. But with my school being closed, I have a lot of free time in my hands at home so in today’s article, I will share with you many ideas of how you can make the most out of your time while quarantining. It is your choice on whether to follow these tips. Please avoid non-essential travel and avoid social gatherings.

Tip #1: Study

For those of you who still have exams in the future, you should still try your best to study. I know it is unfortunate to not have a teacher to help but do try your best. I am privileged to have teachers who set tasks while I am at home for each of my subjects every day so we are not falling behind. Do some revision but don’t stress.

Tip #2: Read a book

After having a productive day, instead of lounging straight into your bed and going on Netflix, I recommend that you enjoy some creativity with a good old book. If you don’t have many books at home, try finding online ebooks or if you want, subscribe to audiobooks like Audible or Kindle.

Tip #3: Watch movies

Yes, this is controversial to what I said before but after reading a chapter of the book, you may want to go and watch a show. It is fine to do this as long as you are allowed and have done your work but I still recommend not to be glued to a screen all day. We have better things to do.

Tip #4: Organise your room/house.

It is good to organise your room so you feel fresh and especially now that it is coronavirus time, it is useful to disinfect objects in your house, have a clean and also wash your hands regularly for twenty seconds.

Tip #5: Clean up your devices.

Update your phone and backup everything to make sure your information is safe. Delete any unnecessary photos and other apps you don’t need. This will make your phone and your devices feel brand new. 

Tip #6: Watch TED talks and documentaries.

This is the perfect time to develop yourself so I recommend watching some empowering relevant TED talks free on YouTube and gain knowledge. Truly, knowledge is power.

Tip #7: Practise self-care 

After lots of work, you may want to relax by putting on a face mask, getting your sleep and practising self-hygiene. It will make you feel refreshed. That me-time is important.

Tip #8: Produce content

We should hopefully, In Sha Allah survive this outbreak and come out of it as a stronger, developed person. In order to put ourselves out like that, we should produce content such as possibly starting a YouTube channel, starting your own website or creating an Instagram account about something that you are passionate about.

Tip #9: Talk to your family at home

If you and your family are at home and have nothing to do, talk to each other. As teenagers, it can get boring at home by ourselves without much social interaction so talk to your loved ones and have a chat. 

Tip #10: Call your friends

If you still feel bored at home, phone your friends rather than texting as it is better communication than texting where you can’t hear your friends’ voices. This will help you to express your feelings.

Tip #11: Learn new skills

Have you always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, apply henna or learn how to sing? Then do not fear, this is the time for you to subscribe to courses on Youtube or maybe even on websites like Skillshare or Udemy and learn something today.

Tip #12: Look outside the window.

Don’t be tempted to go outside. Just enjoy the weather from your window.

Tip #13: Have time for your hobby.

If you haven’t picked up your camera to make a video or played your guitar, relive those good memories and enjoy some time doing what you love to do. 

Tip #14: Exercise and eat well. 

You don’t necessarily need to go outside to have a good workout- just do some simple stretches or a workout at the comfort of your house (make sure you are careful though) and also stay healthy to boost your immune system. Drink lots of water. Remember, you are what you eat.

Tip #15: Pray

COVID-19 is concerning for all but do not worry. As a Muslim, I try to protect myself and others around me by washing my hands regularly and quarantining but also by asking help from Allah to protect all of us. Your mental health is important at this time and if you have issues with it, seek Allah’s help and also go to websites such as Kooth if you want someone to talk to. Overall, focus on yourself and your family’s well being.

I hope this article gave some insight into some ideas of things you can do at this time. I have also linked some sources for more information. 

Sources: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-51951914/coronavirus-uk-schools-to-close-to-prevent-virus-spread

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

As I said, I know this is a concerning time but do not be afraid, just protect yourself and focus on being positive and having hope that In Sha Allah the world will overcome this. If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your family and friends and check out my other articles:

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day! Stay well!